The single arm isometric lat pull is a bodyweight exercise where you place your arm against a wall and attempt to pull downward, creating an isometric contraction in the lat muscles. Since the wall prevents movement, the lat stays contracted under tension.
Also Works
ShouldersTriceps
How to Perform
1
Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2
Raise one arm overhead and place your palm flat against the wall.
3
Keeping your arm straight, attempt to pull your hand downward as if doing a lat pulldown.
4
The wall prevents movement, creating an isometric contraction in your lat.
5
Hold the contraction for 10-30 seconds, then release.
6
Repeat with the other arm.
Pro Tips
•Press your palm into the wall as hard as you can while imagining pulling your elbow down toward your hip.
•Hold for 10-30 seconds per rep and focus on feeling the contraction deep in the lat, not the shoulder.
•Stand about arm's length from the wall with a slight forward lean to align the force vector with the lat fibers.
Common Mistakes
•Pressing with the shoulder and arm muscles instead of engaging the lat, which turns it into a shoulder exercise.
•Holding breath during the isometric contraction instead of breathing steadily.
•Not pressing hard enough to generate meaningful muscle activation.